This invention relates generally to dough-dividing and rounding machines, typically finding utility in the bakery industry. More particularly, the invention relates to a divider assembly for removable attachment to a dough-dividing and rounding machine. The invention finds its greatest utility in the ease of assembly and disassembly, thereby permitting a significant improvement in the task of cleaning such machines, and reassembling the machine components after cleaning.
Examples of dough-dividing machines which are disclosed in the earlier prior art may be found with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 1,177,835, issued Apr. 14, 1916; U.S. Pat. No. 1,764,586, issued Jun. 17, 1930; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,158,594, issued May 16, 1939. The general structure and operation disclosed in these prior art patents is frequently found in use today in machines of generally similar design.
Dough-dividing machines of the prior art, and particularly the divider assemblies utilized in such machines, suffer from disadvantages relating to the ease of disassembly for purposes of cleaning the machine and its component parts. A typical and common problem with prior art machines is that partial disassembly of the machine for purposes of removing the divider assembly for cleaning is either impossible or extremely difficult, with the result that cleaning of divider assemblies on prior art machines is usually accomplished while the divider assembly is mounted on the machine. In those machines where the divider assembly may be removed for cleaning, the assembly itself contains many uneven surfaces and recesses, the cleaning of which is very difficult, and it is therefore not uncommon for dough residue to remain on parts of the divider assembly for long periods of time. This creates an unhealthy and unsafe environment which promotes the growth of bacteria.
Several more recently issued patents have attempted to address the problem of designing a divider assembly which is easier to disassemble and clean than found on the earlier prior art machines. Examples of these more recent improvements and divider assemblies are found in the following prior art patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,528, issued Feb. 6, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,147, issued Aug. 27, 1990; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,978, issued Jan. 15, 1991. The foregoing patents disclose divider assemblies which are disassembleable into component parts, and thereby offer the advantage of easier cleaning, but these divider assemblies suffer the disadvantage that the divider assemblies are still difficult to separate into their component parts without the use of tools.